Follow the Leader
by AllGlitchedUp
Summary: Carlos and Mal have a late night talk. This story is a one shot that has nothing to do with my other story Detours. I may work on a one shot with Carlos and Jay or Carlos and Evie as well
_Talk Low, Talk Slow, and Don't Say Too Much.
John Wayne_

"You awake?" The whisper floated through the dark, almost silent.

Mal could have told her not to bother. This wasn't the Island, where silence could quite literally be a life saver. Drawing attention to ones self, especially when you were a lovely teenage girl was...unwise, to say the least. "Of course I am." She didn't sleep much. Her crew was hers to protect, and she couldn't do that with half of them sleeping across the school.

Most of the students slept in dorms of four, instead of the smaller rooms that she and Evie were currently residing in. Fairy Godmother had tactfully told her that since the four of them had arrived so late in the year (it was barely September, only 5 weeks in), there were no extra students to room with either she and Evie or Carlos and Jay. Maybe if another few students transferred in. Until then, they would room in the smallest rooms, with just each other for company.

The older woman had even managed to make it sound like a good thing, as if she were bestowing some honor upon the Rotten Four. Bullshit. She just didn't want to come out and say that people feared them, and no one wanted them around while they slept. Apparently she thought that hearing that might offend them.

It didn't. They were used to being feared, if not outright hated, which suited them just fine. And if they were feared on the Island of the Lost, Auradon was absolutely nothing.

It would have worked out perfectly in a larger room, though. Her, Evie, Jay, and Carlos all could have shared. They were used to sharing, though having four beds, each with pillows and warm blankets was a luxury that they had never before experienced. Usually it was a motley combination thin sheets, balled up jackets or sweaters and enough body heat to combat hypothermia, if not actually keep them warm.

But Fairy Godmother had all but had a fainting spell when Mal had suggested it. Not only had they all been given a lecture on the dangers of 'purpling' (during which Jay had stood behind her and mimicked her gestures and facial expressions until Carlos nearly suffered a fit from choking on laughter), but yet another class had been created just for them, 'Courting and Chivalry for the Modern Teenager'.

Mal had scowled at her. "So not only are we lacking in moral development, but we're sexually degenerate as well? That's not a very warm welcome, especially for a group of people who try to find the goodness in everyone. I thought that this was supposed to be a second chance for us." She batted her eyes, which had small bit of green swirling in their depths. So what if what Fairy Godmother was suggesting was pretty much an average Friday for them? She didn't need to know that.

To her credit, Fairy Godmother didn't back down at all. "Of course no one thinks that, Dear. But the rule against coed room-sharing has been in effect for centuries, and I will not be changing it now. It will do the four of you good to make some new friends."

Right, because it was so easy to make friends when you were public enemy number one at Auradon Prep. Besides, she didn't need more friends. She needed the ones she had.

"Mal?"

She had gotten so lost in he thoughts that she had forgotten to answer Evie. "Yeah, I'm up."

"Do you want to go see the boys?"

She didn't even need to answer that. Mal flung back the covers and grabbed a jacket off of her dresser. "Let's go."

Thanks to Carlos having both a brilliant mind and a chronic case of insomnia, all four of them knew the bed check schedule within two weeks. Mondays, Thursdays, and alternate Saturdays had checks at 11, while Tuesdays and Sundays were done at 1 am. The other Saturday had a check at 10, and a second check at 4 am. All they had to do was wait for the check, and then they were home free.

There were no lights this late at night, but they didn't need them. The Island was a dark place, and they had all adapted, learning young how to place their feet silently and use the smallest amount of light as their guides. Between their sharply honed senses and Evie's mirror, they were at the right door in minutes.

The room was locked, of course. Only an idiot (or an average student here at Auradon Prep-none of these kids would survive a week on the Island) would fail to protect themselves while they slept. Mal held out a hand, and Evie handed over the key. One of the very first orders of business had been to get copies made, so they could access each other whenever it was needed. Before opening the door, though she gave a quick series of knocks, letting both boys know who was coming through the door.

On the Island, it paid to be a light sleeper, the boys were awake before the door was fully open. Jay padded towards her, hair tangled and hanging in his face, but Carlos just yawned and studied her sleepily. His bed was still neatly made, which meant that he had been sleeping with Jay again. She smirked at him. "When are you going to start sleeping in a big boy bed all by yourself, Runt?"

He grinned back. "Says the girl who had to cross the castle to sleep with both of us."

"Touché." She sat on his bed and looked her friends over. They all looked back, waiting for her call. "Carlos, come on."

As the leader of their gang, she had the right to the best of everything. She picked the best spot to sleep (On the Island, always the least drafty spot. Here in Auradon, Carlos' bed. He was a neat freak and she was never sure when Jay had last changed his sheets), she got the first bite at meals, and she chose who she got to sleep with. The four of them used to just sleep in a pile on the floor, but the beds in the dorms were really only big enough for two.

"Not fair! Why does Carlos always get to sleep with you? I'm twice the man he is!" Jay flexed his muscles at her, and Mal couldn't deny that it was a bit of a thrill. Being the leader also entitled her to first pick of a consort, which was just strange to think about. Maleficent had drilled into her head over and over that a consort was just there for sex and the power they added, so she needed to choose wisely. Mal was not required, or even allowed, to love them.

On the Island, Jay would have been the obvious choice. He was tall, he was strong, and he was skilled at stealing. More importantly, he was as loyal as they came. Whatever she required, he would get it for her.

But Auradon wasn't the Island. Here she might get further with Evie's ability to make friends (or at least business contacts) or Carlos's incredible intelligence then Jay's brute strength. But all three of them had their gifts, and she couldn't imagine choosing just one. Maleficent had responded to that comment by rolling her eyes and pointing out that she was the leader, and she could have all three of them if she wanted. After all, what were rules for if not breaking?

"Carlos gets to sleep with me because he actually showers after Tourney practice, and you smell like the bottom of Captain Hook's peg leg. Maybe Evie doesn't mind your stink, but I do."

Carlos grumbled about getting out from underneath the covers, but came over anyway, rubbing at his eyes and not looking totally awake. He curled up against her body, letting her press against his back.

Mal would never admit it out loud, but one of the reasons she liked sleeping with Carlos was because it was the only time she could do this with him. Evie loved to snuggle, and Jay would often lean against her or stretch out and study with her. Neither one of them liked being touched by outsiders, but they were fine within the group.

Carlos was different. It had taken years to hit this point with him, where he would come to her without hesitation. At first he would whine, and shuffle his feet, dragging it out as long as possible, then flinching away when you actually tried to touch him. He never relaxed into her the way the others did. Instead he locked his muscles and closed his eyes, waiting for it to be over so he could get up and leave.

But that had been years ago. Now it was still a struggle, but in a different way He didn't actively dislike being touched by any of them, but you had to catch him first. His mind was in constant motion, and his body tended to follow suit. He paced, spun, rocked, and tapped, usually while muttering things that only he understood. It was only at times like this, when he was already sleepy and quiet, that he allowed her to just hold him close.

Ironically, this was one of the things that had actually been easier on the Island. There they were moving all day, running from place to place, climbing fences and jumping out of windows. Here everything was so sedate that they were all going crazy. Tourney provided some outlet, but it just wasn't the amount of activity that was required to keep either Carlos or Jay sane. Carlos was anxious and ramped up all the time, and Jay picked fights. Never with his little Runt, though. Somehow, Carlos was immune to the worst of everyone's meanness Except Cruella's, of course.

As always, she took a minute to run a hand gently over his body, looking for anything out of place. It was less critical here then it had been on the Island, but old habits died hard. There was a bruise near his elbow, no doubt from a careless Tourney stick. A healing burn on the back his hand from an accident in chemistry. That was it, same as yesterday. The days of finding new, usually finger-shaped, bruises all over his arms and neck were gone.

When all of this was over and her mother was running Auradon, she was going to demand to keep Carlos herself. She would be a princess, and princesses could have whatever they wanted. She wasn't going to let him go back to his mother, no matter what. As the youngest and smallest in the group, he needed more protection.

Though he wasn't really the smallest any more. She had been shocked a few days ago to realize he stood as tall as she did. Never in the decade they had run together had he been able to look her straight in the eyes.

She thought back to 11 years ago, just a few weeks after they had started kindergarten. Mal was bored, of course. Maleficent had made sure to teach her the basics at home, but made it clear that school was a scouting mission. There were plenty of children her age on the island, and she needed to know who could be a powerful ally in the future.

Mistress Gothel was going over the letters of the alphabet for what felt like the millionth time when she was summoned out into the hall. That wasn't an unusual event, and Mal immediately slithered over to Jay's desk, trying to get a look at what treasures he had managed to steal today. It was an impressive haul, but they were quickly distracted by the shouting coming from the hall. Without even asking, Jay drug a chair to the door and boosted Mal up so she could look through the window and report on what was happening.

There was a funny looking lady with a big coat standing in the hall, next to the smallest kid any of them had ever seen. "Of course he's five! It's time for him to go to school, because I can't stand having him around the house all day any more. Carlos, go on." She pushed the kid forward, too harshly, and made him stumble a bit.

Mistress Gothel sighed. "Do you have a birth certificate for him? Because he doesn't look much older then three."

"I had him at home. But he's five, he's just small." Again she pushed the kid, who Mal guessed was named Carlos, forward. "How old are you, Carlos? Tell this lady."

He tentatively held up five fingers, looking to his mother for reassurance that he was getting it right.

"I wasn't aware that you even had a child, Cruella. You've certainly never mentioned him." She was losing and she knew it. Without proof of the kid's age one way or the other, she was going to have to accept his mother's version of events.

"Are you suggesting I stole him from somewhere? Because that would be a laugh. I didn't even want the kid I gave birth to, much less to steal someone else's little whelp."

"Fine, Cruella. We'll see how Carlos keeps up with his classmates. If he can't, you're going to have to hold him out another year or two."

"He will. Carlos knows better then to fail, right Baby?" The kid cringed and nodded.

"You can come get him at 3:30." Mistress Gothel reached out to guide Carlos into the classroom, but he sidestepped her touch.

"He knows the way home." With a flourish, Cruella turned and left, not bothering to say goodbye to her son. He didn't look after her, nor did he act like he expected anything else from her.

"Down, Jay!" Both Carlos and Mistress Gothel would be in the room soon, and the two of them couldn't get caught listening at the door.

By the time their teacher entered, they were both back in their seats, looking as innocent as possible. "Class, we have a new student. This is Carlos de Vil." She looked down at the little boy. "Carlos, can you tell us something about yourself."

He shook his head and stared at his shoes. Mal looked him up and down and dismissed him at once. Not only was he a baby, but he couldn't even talk. Not worthy of her time. Not worthy at all.

"Jay, why don't you help Carlos for today and show him around a bit?" Mistress Gothel sounded pleasant, but they all knew that she wasn't asking him, she was telling him.

The closer Carlos stepped to Mal and Jay, the smaller he looked. Mal would bet that he wasn't as tall as her chest, and he was skinny as could be. When he climbed up to his desk, he had to kneel to reach anything.

But he didn't cry. He took the pencil and piece of paper that Jay offered and made his letters along with the rest of the class. When break time came, Jay reluctantly showed him the classroom, pointing out the bathroom, the art supplies, and their textbooks. That was it, they had nothing else. Carlos still didn't speak, but he took in everything and nodded at them.

That should have been the end of it. Jay had done his good deed, Mal had determined that the new kid wasn't worthy of her time, and he would just fade into nothingness.

Things took another interesting turn at pick up, though. Maleficent and Jafar were laughing together in a way that told Mal that they had done something horrendous that day. Mal knew better then to ask for a hug, but she did show her mother the papers she had worked on that day, and the grades she had gotten. Her mother nodded. "Good, Mal. I expect nothing less then perfection from a daughter of mine. Remember-" She abruptly cut herself off, looking at the tiny figure making his way down the steps. "And who is this?"

Mal wrinkled her nose. "Carlos. Carlos...I can't remember his last name."

"de Vil. I would know that hair anywhere. Well, well, well. Cruella has managed to pull one over on us. Jafar!" When the man looked over, she pointed at Carlos. "It would seem that one of Cruella's 'business meetings' resulted in a little receipt. You haven't been hanging around Hell House lately, have you?"

It would be years before Mal would understand what her mother meant by 'business meetings', and it was something that she had never once mentioned in front of Carlos. He had to know, but what do you say about something like that?

Jafar stepped closer and looked at Carlos, who stared mutely at him. Mal was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with that kid. "Nah, that kid isn't mine. Cruella hooked a white guy to make that thing."

Maleficent nodded. "She managed to hide him, though. Maybe Cruella has more going on upstairs then we thought. She's certainly more sly." Her eyes narrowed as she regarded the little boy, who had turned away and was headed doggedly in the direction of what must have been home. No parent had come for him, and he didn't seem to expect one was going to arrive. "Mal, come!"

On the way home, her mother drilled her about Carlos, anything she could remember. Mal dutifully reported what she had seen in the hall, as well as anything Carlos might have said to them. There was nothing. Mal had to admit that she wasn't even sure that Carlos could talk at all.

"I want you to make friends with that boy. I thought that Cruella was too insane to be of any use, but clearly she has more wits left then I thought if she managed to hide a child for all these years. With all the gossip on this Island, she shouldn't have made it halfway through the pregnancy without everyone knowing. She's proven to be more then I expected, and that kid might have gotten some of her wiles."

"But he's a baby! I don't want to hang out with a baby!" Mal knew she had made a mistake as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

Sure enough, Maleficent's hand dashed out, slapping her daughter across the face. "I don't care if he has a thumb growing out of his forehead and you have to change his diapers! You will watch this boy for me."

"Yes, Mother."

As it turned out, though, Carlos was pretty easy to like. He didn't challenge her, which was always a wise move with Mal. Once he settled in, he proved he could talk, though not often and always in a very quiet voice.

Most importantly, at least in Mal's eyes, he was smart. Not only did he keep up with the class, he was soon at the head of it. And if he lost his baby teeth or hit his growth spurts exactly 2 years behind the rest of them...well, that didn't matter. He was under Mal's protection, and they had all seen what happened when you messed with something that she considered to be hers.

In fact, his age had become such a non-issue that everyone seemed to have forgotten about it. Among his other talents, Carlos was a pretty decent computer hacker, Mal knew for a fact that he was listed in Auradon Prep's records as being 16 years old, just like the rest of them. When Mal had casually asked Ben about the younger students, she had been informed that no one under 16 was allowed to dorm on campus. They attended day school only. That had been the night that they all swore an oath of silence on the subject, never to bring it up again.

Carlos was dozing, so she gave him a quick poke. "Hey."

"I'm awake." He sounded like he could crash again at any second, so she poked him a few more times to be sure. "Ok, Mal! Shit."

"If you could stay awake, I wouldn't need to poke you." Mal rolled over so she could stare into his eyes. "Tell me."

None of them were allowed to keep secrets from her. For her was expected, and from each other was fine in Mal's book. But they needed to be comfortable telling her anything. Otherwise how would she be able to be a good leader?

Trial and error had taught her not to ask specific questions unless it was an emergency. If she let Carlos take the lead, it provided insight into the thoughts that had be plaguing him that day .

"Do you think they'll let me keep Dude in here if I asked them? He sleeps all by himself in the equipment room, and I'll bet he's lonely."

Really? They had a master plan to take over Auradon and exact revenge for their parents, and Carlos was worried about the damn dog? Sometimes she wondered if Carlos cared about the plan at all. He would do it, of course, because Mal wanted him to, and he would do anything for her. But did he really want it?

Probably not. Of all of them, Carlos had it the worst on the Island, and the best now. His mother certainly didn't care what happened to him, as long as he was around to complete his chores. Once he had moved in with Evie for over a month, sneaking back into Hell House each morning to complete his chores before Cruella woke up. Never once did she seek him out, nor did she ask about him when he finally came home. Why would he seek to avenge her?

Auradon was a new world for him. He was the only one of them who was polite to authority figures (She didn't like to think about what Cruella had done to get that instant obedience. The teachers saw a young man with manners. Mal saw fear.), and the science teachers were over the moon with his intelligence. For the first time, he wasn't too small, too young, too gentle to make it in the world. He was the special one, and it had to feel good.

"They probably would. Why don't you ask Ben? I'll bet he'll let you have Dude." She rubbed his shoulder, and he didn't pull away.

"I guess."

She knew that he wouldn't. Carlos didn't like to draw attention to himself, and he would rather do without then risk making someone angry on him. "Do you want me to do it?"

"Yeah." He nodded slightly at her. "That would be good."

"Done. Tell me something else."

His eyes closed again, and this time she didn't fuss. This time he was just thinking. "Chad Charming is a dick."

"Agreed. Tell me something else."

"We really need to pull this off. I mean, there's no other choice." One eye opened and fixed on her, spooky in the dim light.

"Are you doubting me?" Her eyes flashed a quick green and he looked down. "Because I don't need to deal with doubters." Mal was careful not to raise her voice. She might be irritated with Carlos and his lack of faith in her, but she wasn't going to broadcast it across the room where Evie or Jay might hear it. What they talked about at night was between the two of them.

"I'm not doubting. I'm worried, Mal. If we succeed, we unleash the Island on Auradon. What stops our parents from turning this place into just as big of a shithole? And if we don't succeed...they're going to send us back. Then we have to go home knowing that we blew our parents only chance for getting of that Island. There's no way I can go home after that. None of us can. They'll kill us." His voice was heavy and flat.

Mal hated it when Carlos got like this. Quiet and thoughtful and 100% right. No matter what happened from here, the four of them were roundly screwed. "It won't be like that. We'll be the rulers of this place, instead of the peasants."

"Evie's a princess. You might as well be royalty of the island. How's it worked out for you two so far?" Again, no real bite to his words. He knew that he couldn't change things.

"So what do we do? Run to Fairy Godmother? Rat out our own parents? Try and take things over ourselves? Are you going to pussy out on me, de Vil?"

"No." He wasn't staring at her so much as he was through her, as if she didn't exist. Their eyes were aligned, but there was no connection at all. "We do what we came here to do and we face the consequences later. You know I have your back."

That was all that she had wanted to hear, so she nodded. "We have each others backs. We're good, go to sleep."

He nodded without smiling. The only one who could get him to consistently smile was Jay, and even then there was an odd blankness behind it. She wondered if he had ever learned it as a baby, if Cruella had ever smiled at him or if all he had heard from his earliest days was orders and threats. She strongly suspected it was the latter.

They shifted around until they were both comfortable, and closed her eyes. Sleeping in a comfortable bed with thick bedding and a nice pillow was still a little odd, but most of the oddness was mitigated by having someone familiar at her back. She was almost asleep when he whispered in her ear. "Tell me."

When she asked the question, it was a demand masquerading as a question. When he Carlos asked her, it was gently, never expecting that he was entitled to an answer. It wasn't a power grab, either. Carlos had zero interest in being in charge of things. As long as he felt safe and had some time to tinker away on his inventions, he was perfectly happy to leave the hard part to her. "Tell you what?"

"Anything."

It was easier when she didn't have to look directly at him, which was something that he undoubtedly already knew. "It's not so bad here." It was almost physically painful to admit it. "It's not home, but it could be a lot worse."

"Maybe we could send Chad to the Island. He wouldn't last five minutes." Carlos sounded pleased with the idea, and Mal had to admit it had some merit.

"That will be the first thing we do once we're in charge. Watch the bastard squirm." She knew that Chad liked to pick on both of her boys. Jay got the worst of it, with way too many 'accidental' bumps and throws out on the Tourney field. Chad had tried picking on Carlos, but after a few unexplained explosions and a complete meltdown of his (and only his) grades in the computer system, he had wised up and left the younger boy alone. Unfortunately for Chad, he had yet to wise up to the fact that Carlos would fight harder and meaner for Jay then he ever would for himself.

Properly directed, Carlos had all the potential in the world, maybe as much as Mal herself. She wasn't a stupid girl, despite what he mother sometimes told her. She knew just how smart he was, and careful snooping had shown her how high his E.Q was. This was the boy who had managed to punch a hole in the barrier around the island just because he felt like it. If she pushed him just a little bit...

But she never did. She told herself it was because she didn't like competition, and it would be shame if she had to get rid of Carlos now that she just had him trained the way she liked him. It was so hard to find good help these days. Anyway, it wouldn't do to have anyone else know But it was really more that she liked him how he was. Cruella might have thought she had broken his spirit, but that was far from the truth. He was loyal, easy-going, and more mischievous then truly evil.

Jay and Evie were silent, so they had probably fallen asleep. Because there was no one to hear it but Carlos, she found the courage to tell him the rest. "Ben's not that bad, either."

He made kissy noises. "Awww! Mal loves Benny-Boo! Cute."

She flicked the back of his ear. "Shut up. I just said he's not that bad. We might be able to work with him once we're running the place. We can't send them all to the Island."

"Uh-huh." He obviously didn't believe her, but he let the matter drop. That was one of the nice things about Carlos. He wouldn't bring this up again, even to tease her. "Can we send Audrey, though? Please?"

"Definitely Audrey."

"Good." He sighed laid his arm over his eyes, a sure sign that he was ready to go to sleep. "Night, Mal."

"Night." It only took a few minutes for him to settle and sleep, a change from just a few months ago, when it might take hours if he slept at all. A few shots of some of the Islands nastiest whiskey tended to help, but she was pretty sure giving a 14 year old masquerading as a 16 year old booze was frowned upon here.

Her own rest was slower in coming. Carlos was right. If they couldn't pull this off, they better not go home. It was good that he had brought it up to her, though, so she could come up with a Plan B. They weren't careful here, so it would be easy enough for her to steal extra food and clothing, and they could head for the thick woods surrounding Auradon. She already knew that they could survive without help, as long as they relied on each other. She wouldn't let them go back to the Island as failures and targets.

First order for tomorrow: Find supplies and a place to hide them. It would have to be secret enough so they wouldn't be found accidentally, but easy for them to get to in a hurry. They would need a change or two of clothing, some weapons for self defense, and food. Ok, good plan.

The four of them were a mess, but as long as they had each other, they would be ok. Mal would make sure of that. Part of being the leader was being one step ahead at all times, preparing for every eventuality to keep her crew safe.

As she fell asleep, one thought spun through her head. First order couldn't be finding supplies. First order? Get Carlos that damn dog at night.

Because that was what the leader did and Mal was damn determined to keep them safe.


End file.
